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“I love a parade”: While Rome was buring down Chris Roberts was angling to ride in the Saints Superbowl Victory parade

Today’s installment of documents laid on me by my gabby cousin Slabb O’Leak deals with a parade but this was no ordinary parade folks, no sir. This was a special parade indeed so to refresh everyone’s memories we need to hit the way back machine and head back to February 2010. Our own AROD was cooling his heels in the St Bernard Parish prison, arrest on charges trumped-up by US Attorney Jim Letten, who evidently had the manpower to burn (as also illustrated by Sal Perricone spending large parts of the day playing on the internet) despite the rampant political corruption. Less than a month before, Parish President Aaron Broussard had resigned in disgrace due his own corruption scandal, portions of which are coming to trial in just a few months. Interim Parish President Steve Theriot had already been installed via the bums rush by the Parish Council and had been on the job for around 3 weeks.

It was a crazy time for the political classes in Jefferson Parish and indeed our readers may recall that Theriot was a very busy man at that time and had actually pushed back his coronation and genuflection ceremony with Ashton Phelps and the gang at the Times Picayune because he was so busy and rightfully so as “Rome” was literally burning down . But what was TheRiot and his band of 6 dwarfs on the Parish Council actually doing then? Easy folks, they were negotiating with Ray Ray the Chocolate guy to ride in the Saints Superbowl victory parade and it consumed lots of time.

Now this seems straightforward, in exchange for 25 passes to the official reviewing stand at Gallier Hall, the taxpayers of Jefferson Parish agreed to pony up over $160,000 so the City of New Orleans could host the parade. But the Nagin folks that extended this “generous” offer to the taxpayers of Jefferson parish did not know one thing. Councilman at large Chris “Mini-me” Roberts absolutely adores a parade! (along with seeing himself on the TeeVee).

What followed was a thoroughly entertaining email chain as Roberts was hell-bent on getting his Mardi Gras float, bought with his political campaign ca$h into that parade as the public gets a peek at what really matters to their Councilman at Large: Feeding his massive ego no matter the cost to the taxpayer.

I’m also reminded the whispers we were hearing at that time the Parish Council was not completely unified and this is indeed the case. Current Parish president John Young abstained from the vote to install Theriot for instance but no where is that conflict better illustrated than this subject.

My readers no doubt notice that I do not take many shots at Young and there is a method to my madness. Yes by nature he is a political creature and that is to be expected since he is a politician. He also appears to listen to the concerns of his constituents and does not, at least overtly, view his minion as marks as did his predecessor Aaron Broussard. While I am not ready to lay the Slabbed seal of approval on him, as very few politicians ever earn that distinction, there was one voice inside the Yenni Building that actually wondered whether spending $160,000 for a few passes to the reviewing stand at Gallier Hall was a wise use of taxpayer money and for this we must give props to Young:

That email drew this very snippy response from Roberts:

Paul Rioux at the Times Picayune was certainly leaked the above email by Roberts as he quoted from it in his story on Jefferson Parish dialing back their contribution to $95,000. And the commenters to Rioux’s story, at least most of them seemed to understand that whooshing sound they were hearing was their tax money going down the toilet so Roberts and the gang on the Parish Council could have a nice party at Gallier Hall. I doubt he saw them all though because the complete email chain reveals Roberts was strictly in this deal for himself:

And we already know after John Young questioned the wisdom of spending so much money, coupled with the fact the parade was to only feature Saints players and coaches, not self aggrandizing politicians that Mini-me threatened to watch the parade with the unwashed masses. Wondering what was giving John Young so much heartburn about this deal? I think the budgetary line item calling for a “$10,000 Host Party” ($20,000 total between the City of NO and Jefferson Parish) may have been the final straw for Young:

And of course during the course of all this posturing the City of NO keept sweetening the taxpayer funded honey pot:

16 thoughts on ““I love a parade”: While Rome was buring down Chris Roberts was angling to ride in the Saints Superbowl Victory parade”

Your Slabbed support $$$ at work Bunhare. I’ll add this project was initially estimated at 50,000 pages but after the first drop I’m beginning to think it is around 80,000 pages plus. My hit rate was around 5% on the first drop so we’re looking at 4,000 pages at the minimum of goodies, likely more.

And folks just because I’m not asking for support does not mean y’all have to be shy hitting the donate button like Bunhare did a bit over a week ago. All proceeds will be used to fund this project.

And to all that donated I sincerely appreicate both the support and trust in my abilities to bring this project home.

While I am expressing gratitude I’d like everyone to know my attorney, Bobby Truitt was of great help advancing this.

Ok Bunhare ,
In all that hard work CFGG has been doing to get funding for the IG’s commission to be able to start vetting no one throught of throwing a parade, M&M sisters should have some fun with this info ?

Sop, please show us the 5 AM picture of the” King of Pay to Play” arriving early to get a good parade position for his 4 G terlit to check his campaign deposits.

On the topic of campaign deposits there was no laughter at the Tampon Rodeo Council meeting yesterday when it was announced for that meeting aloneand the contractor vendor contracts to be approved the total campaign contributions by just those vendors to the Prez/ Council of Clowns finally broke thru the quiet humid air with a $500,000 sonic boom. Disgustingly as bad for the taxpayers as were the $ 100,000 Superbowl parade tickets for the JP politicos, their friends and family.

Then at the Tampon Council meeting there was the exciting kiddy game of- on what jackass/es to pin the tail on for the many perennial ( up to 8 now) contract change orders/ cost over runs on the JPPAC grey elephant on Airline.

An avatar sharp pin and tail appeared and started to walk to Young but was rebuked and directed back toward the Council when LargASSE directed the pin back toward JP engineer Youssef at the podium who directed the pin back toward Young who then directed the pin toward the project manager Perrin & Carter at the podium who directed it back toward the Council, and on and on. You get the picture as there must be some external HEAT being applied by investigators about the unfinished elephant to IGNITE such a kiddy game.

Finally, Margie Seemann of CFGG made the speech of the meeting by questioning why the JP politicos have only sued the original architect for malpractice when the entire project from the concrete slab up was assumed by project manager, Perrin & Carter engineers and their subcon Gendusa? Of course there were no responses from Prez John ” The Joker” Young or the Council of Clowns cause they all know quite well the answer to that IMPORTANT QUESTION..

Taxpayers, THE ANSWER is quite simple what has happened here. The Broussard administration and the Council ( upon which Young sat) agreed to play the game of local CRONY CAPITALISM ( term recently coined by the Obama people giving 500 MILLION to political supporter/crony, Solyndra Corp., who immediately went bankrupt a few months after the grant).

Caldarera Contractors, which forgot to figure in costs of seating for Zephyr stadium and had been in litigation talks twice with JP over other cost overruns on other JP projects, was appointed contractor despite discussion of their litigation history. Then the engineer contractor manager/ architect coalition of Perrin & Carter and Gendusa, all of which are campaign contributors extraordinaire in JP, were appointed to correct all architectural errors and manager the total construction of the elephant.In fact, JP’s Youssef stated at the time if something happens after all these people are appointed it would be their “Baby”. Meaning, they and their insurers would be held liable for any problems.

AND DO YOU REALLY ACTUALLY THINK THAT THESE SO-CALLED POLITICAL SERVANTS ARE GOING TO SUE AND KILL THESE BIG FRIENDLY GEESE THAT LAY THE GOLDEN CAMPAIGN EGGS in order to recoup millions in cost overruns and penalties of delay paid to the contractor Caldarera ?

CRONY CAPITALISM must be stopped NOW or Jefferson Parish will like other cities such as Birmingham,Ala. go bankrupt leaving taxpayers on the hook and JP employees without pensions.

Lockemup,
Like I said before ” Mr. Young make all the engineer’s reports public particularly the ones for the cost overruns and start with the first let’s see the Environmental Assessments both phase I and phase II” !

Lockem…your analogy of ” BIG FRIENDLY GEESE THAT LAY THE GOLDEN CAMPAIGN EGGS..” sums up in its entirety how our esteemed Jefferson Parish public servants ( ? ) & how our J.P. Government works…that cuts right to the chase of how the non-performing Jefferson Arts Center cancer has perpetuated into the debacle that it has become…SPOT ON lockem.. ‘CRONY CAPTIALISM’ indeed.

According to Paul Rioux’s report JP contributed $95,000 when it was all said and done.

Mini-me threatened to watch the parade with the unwashed masses after John Young spoke up. I do not know where he ultimately watched the parade but a PRR or two to either the City of NO or JP could likely clear that up.

After the TV media coverage of the first part of the Super Indictment against Broussard/ Wilkinson it is now a fact that these FRIENDLY GEESE THAT LAY GOLDEN CAMPAIGN EGGS in some cases lay smaller GOLDEN EGGS in the pockets of some JP politicians.

The owner of First Communications who paid Broussard under the table $1,000/month for 66 months for a contract worth $40,000 has also been indicted which is an important step toward putting a little fear in these bird brained FRIENDLY GEESE.

If more of these FRIENDLY GEESE are indicted and jailed perhaps they may migrate out of the area and stop LAYING GOLDEN CAMPAIGN EGGS and smaller GOLDEN EGGS in the pockets of JP politicians.

You would think Lockemup that to be true but not with little fear from getting caught. Take a look at the state legislative audit circa Oct. 6, 2010 the time frame of SOP records release. Pay close attention to Rebowe & Co. auditors correspondents seems to me the legislative auditor remains myopic to their direct involvement and of others who have never been charged . Also note not one word of AMV in his report after known meetings with Theriot makes you wonder if it was about getting her out the way to circumvent the DOJ records preservation demand?